History. Mogwai are creatures with roots hailing from ancient China. They were created by sibling gods of creation, Fuxi and Nuwa, as a test and bet to see whose views about humanity, another of their creations, were correct; Nuwa thought humanity was mostly good while Fuxi thought the opposite.

Despite the reputation of the series, Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai is considered suitable for kids. In fact, two of Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai's creators themselves said that the series was intended for children.

Now, HBO Max–now just called Max–has released their own version with none other than Steven Spielberg called Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. This TV-PG series is a prequel of sorts to the 1984 film (and its sequels).

George Gipe, who penned the novelization, created the Mogwai's origin story and history beyond the original film and its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. The origin of the word "mogwai" is Cantonese and means "demon" or "evil spirit".

Mogwai, a species of fictional creature (based on the Chinese demon) in the film Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

What I have mostly been referring to as “gremlins” are really called Mogwai. This is the form we see Gizmo as throughout the film. Mogwai are the cute, cuddly, fuzzy forms. It is what happens if you feed them after midnight where they have earned their name gremlins!

The BBFC gave the uncut film a 15 certificate in August 1984. Gremlins remained a 15 until November 2012, when a submission of a theatrical re-release was given a 12A certificate.

Also, a heads' up: Even though this movie isn't intended for kids young enough to really still want to believe in Santa, just in case: Phoebe Cates' character gives a memorable speech about how she found out that St. Nick wasn't real. There is also a lot of salty language; much more profanity than you may remember.

The BBFC gave the uncut film a 15 certificate in August 1984. Gremlins remained a 15 until November 2012, when a submission of a theatrical re-release was given a 12A certificate.

Also, a heads' up: Even though this movie isn't intended for kids young enough to really still want to believe in Santa, just in case: Phoebe Cates' character gives a memorable speech about how she found out that St. Nick wasn't real. There is also a lot of salty language; much more profanity than you may remember.

RockMogwai / Genre

It emerged from the U.K.'s Royal Air Force aviator slang (possibly influenced by goblin), and it became especially popular during World War II. Gremlins were described as tricksters that could be blamed for engine malfunctions and other mysterious, unexplained mechanical problems.